Exterior detailing in Hamilton.

Industrial areas, rail lines and busy roads release tiny iron particles into the air. They land on paint, stick, and start to rust, leaving small orange or brown dots that you cannot wash off. They are most obvious on white, silver and light-coloured cars, and on wheels.

This is where our iron decontamination step does the work. A pH-balanced product reacts with the iron and turns purple as it dissolves, then rinses off. After that we clay the paint to remove whatever else is bonded to it. The guide on clay bar treatment covers the rest.

You can see the reaction happen: as the product sits on the paint, tiny purple streaks run down the panel where iron is dissolving. That is the proof it works, and it is oddly satisfying. On heavily contaminated cars, we may repeat the step on the lower panels and wheels.

Steep roads on the escarpment mean more braking, and more brake dust on wheels. Brake dust is metal-based and, if left, can pit wheel finishes. We clean wheel faces, barrels and wheel wells by hand with brushes, not just a spray.

Cars that live on the lower city's busy streets pick up brake dust from stop-and-go traffic as well. Whatever your commute, the principle is the same: iron-based dust sticks to paint and wheels, and the longer it sits, the harder it is to remove. A yearly decontamination keeps it from building up.

Wheel finishes matter, too. Painted, polished and coated wheels all react differently to chemicals, so tell us which you have and we will choose products to suit.

Exterior details start from $103 $129, typically 1.5 to 3 hours.

1. Pre-rinse and hand wash.
2. Iron decontamination, wheels included.
3. Tar removal.
4. Clay bar treatment.
5. Soft-towel dry.
6. Tire and trim dressing.

SUVs add $30 and trucks add $40. If you want long-term protection against the fallout, ask about the ceramic coating service, since a coating keeps it from bonding as strongly.

Ceramic coating is not a requirement. Plenty of Hamilton owners simply book Exterior Revival once or twice a year and are happy with it.

We cover the Mountain, the lower city and neighbouring areas such as Ancaster and Dundas for larger jobs. You do not need to supply anything: we bring water, power and lighting. Read more on the exterior detailing service, our Hamilton car detailing page and booking are one click away. Pay by card, e-transfer or cash.

The finish is only as good as the prep, so we take our time on the wash and decontamination stages. When everything is dry we dress the tires and trim so the car looks even from every angle, and then we walk around it with you panel by panel before we pack up.